Waste pollution is considered a serious threat in our modern age. A growing population leads to an increase in consumption and an increase in household waste, including containers and bottles. The waste stemming from such consumption negatively impacts our environment.
A particular problem is the growing consumption of plastic containers for bottled water. Due to rising health concerns related to the quality of tap water in recent decades, an alarming rate of people have begun to consume bottled water. The discarded plastic water bottles are harmful to the environment. Not only do wasted plastic containers fill up our landfills, but they also frequently cause water contamination as they end up in water streams. Moreover, plastic water bottles and other plastic containers are petroleum-based products and as such are of a toxic nature, capable of harming not only a natural habitat, but also its inhabitants.
The problem of water contamination as well as the sheer volume of consumption is particularly exhibited in the problematic nature of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, situated in the North Pacific Ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been formed substantially by plastic waste products, particularly plastic containers for bottled water. Samples taken from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2001 reveal that the mass of plastic waste exceeded that of zooplankton, which is the dominant animal life in the area.
The plastic waste products encompassed by this enormous patch are subject to plastic photodegradation, which causes the plastic waste products to degrade into small toxic plastic polymers. Over time, the plastic polymers are broken down into smaller and smaller pieces. However, the polymers do not decompose into materials found in nature. These small toxic plastic polymers concentrate in the upper water column and are ultimately ingested by aquatic organisms which reside near the ocean's surface. Plastic waste thus enters the food chain. Furthermore, many larger aquatic animals, such as Orcas, consume the plastic waste during hunting activity, the consumption of which plastic waste is extremely harmful. The floating particles of plastic waste also frequently resemble zooplankton, which can lead to them being consumed by jellyfish, presenting another venue for entering the ocean food chain. Besides ingestion, other concerns caused by plastic waste ending up in water systems include the frequent entanglement of wildlife.
The degradation of plastic waste also contaminates the air and the soil. As the plastic waste degrades, it can release toxic pollutants, such as greenhouse gases. As mentioned above, over time the plastic degrades into smaller and smaller toxic plastic particles, never returning to compounds found in nature.
Landfills contain a tremendous amount of plastic waste. As the plastics degrade, the pollutants leach into the soil and the gases escape into the air. As a response to this threat, recycling has been introduced into the consumption cycle. Recycling generally involves processing used materials into new products. However, the processing of waste can be economically ineffective, as it entails various mechanisms, such as collecting the waste, sorting the waste according to provided specifications, and the final stage of processing the waste into materials that can be used in new products. Aside from the ineffective processes, recycling is not widely available in all communities, and if available, often is not mandatory. Thus, many individuals either do not have a convenient venue for recycling or simply choose not to recycle.
Recycling has its disadvantages as well. The sorting and shipping of the plastic waste to the appropriate recycling facility is costly, both monetarily and environmentally. Different types of plastics must be recycled separately because the different types do not cooperate to form a stable reusable plastic. In addition, many plastics have a limited recyclable life. For example, recycling plastic water bottles can result in a lower grade plastic that can not be converted into a new plastic water bottle.
Other methods of preventing pollution include the partial use of biodegradable material in plastic products. Certain auxiliary elements are made of biodegradable material and are then incorporated within the container, while the remainder of the container is substantially plastic based on petroleum. If these mixed products are included with other plastics for recycling, they can contaminate the product and render it unusable.
A company by the name of BIOTA advertises that it uses a corn-based PLA (polylactic acid) to produce bottles for its water products. It states that such a water bottle can degrade within 75 to 80 days in commercial composting conditions. However, in order to degrade, the bottles need to be placed under specific industrial processing conditions, including being subjected to high heat, particular micro-organisms, and high moisture levels. Furthermore, elements such as the cap are not degradable. These bottles include elements that are not fully biodegradable under standard environmental conditions and they are also expensive. This creates a disincentive for consumers to switch away from petroleum-based plastic bottles.
These products, also known as bioplastics, are biodegradable in commercial composting facilities that carefully monitor the temperature, pressure, and moisture levels. If such products are not correctly sorted by the consumer, and thus end up in an ordinary landfill rather than in a composting facility, they will not degrade for years. Due to the limited access to recycling by some consumers and the problems with recycling plastics in general, there is a need for a biodegradable water bottle that will decompose into nontoxic residues in ambient conditions.